history1

The Philippines Under
Spanish Rule
(1600s – 1800s)

Political Changes

As a crown colony, the Philippines was administered by the Council of the Indies. Even so, the Spanish officials in the Philippines were appointed by the King of Spain, who issued Royal orders and decrees dealing with the proper administration of the colony. In 1863, the Philippines, as a colony, was placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Colonies or Overseas Ministry (Ministerio de Ultramar). In order to make the administration of the Philippines efficient, the Overseas Ministry was advised and aided in its work by the Council of the Indies.

The Central Government

In organizing the central government of the Philippines, the Spanish authorities saw to it that they would be guided by their experience in Mexico and South America. Consequently, many features of the government established in these countries were adopted in the Philippines. Like Mexico and Spanish America, the Laws of the Indies were applied in the Philippines. Some Spanish laws were likewise adopted, like La Novisima Recopilacion, Leyes de Toro, And the Siete Partidas. Thes laws,as well as the Laws of the Indies, were humane, however, most of them were not even enforced in the Philippines.

The Spanish colonizers organized a highly centralized form of government. By this, it meant that the central or national government was so powerful that almost everything had to be done with its knowledge and consent. The central government was headed by governor and captain-general, or governor-general, who was appointed by the King of Spain. As governor-general, he was the King’s official representative in the colony. He possessed vast executive, legislative, and judicial powers. There were, however, only two branches of government: the executive and the judicial.
In 1572, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi became the first Governor of the Philippines and established a government together with Augustinian and Dominican friars.
The Spaniards occupied the Philippines from 1565 to 1898, exactly 333 years. Spanish rule ended after the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1898, which withdrew Spain from the Philippines, Guam, Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Also accepted: 333 years, for 333 years
The successor to Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, Governor-General Guido Lavezaris, had sequestered all the properties of the Rajahs. The revolt failed because of the loyalty of the Spanish and Filipino troops to the Governor-General.
Governor General Rafael de Izquierdo had the three priests, Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora (also known as "Gomburza") garotted at Cavite in February 17, 1872. Additional info: Jose Rizal's "El Filibusterismo" ("The Reign of Greed") was dedicated to these priests in 1891, almost two decades after the execution.

The Dagohoy Revolt of 1744-1829 was the longest in the history of the Philippines. Francisco Dagohoy was mourning for his dead brother, when a Spanish priest refused to give the latter a Christian burial. He called his supporters all over Bohol to fight against the injustice. Twenty Governor-Generals tried to stop the Boholanos (resident of Bohol) from rebelling but they failed. Unfortunately, Dagohoy died in 1827 (cause of death unknown) and the revolt had ended as Dagohoy's supporters making their last stand. Victory went to the Spaniards, under Governor General Mariano Ricafort.

Other details (by revolt and years): Palaris Revolt - 3 years, Parang and Upay revolt - 13 years, Camerino revolt - 4 years.

The Silang revolt took place during the British invasion of the Philippines. In 1763, the revolutionary leader Diego Silang was killed by his friend, Miguel Vicos; and his wife Gabriela Silang (the "Joan of Arc" of Ilocos) continued the revolt for her husband's death. The Ilocanos were defeated and Gabriela was executed by the Spaniards, ending the Silang Revolt.

Apolinario "Hermano Pule" de la Cruz had started his own religious order named "Confradia de San José" (Spanish for "Confraternity of Saint Joseph") which was banned by the Spanish authorities. In June 1840, Hermano Pule and his supporters fought against the Spaniards, but they still failed. The Pule Revolt ended with the execution of de la Cruz in 4th of November, 1841.

Updated 26th June, 2009: miss april changed the FITB to MC, to avoid further confusion to each quiz players. To the one who PM'd me, thanks for the correction (I forgot your name, sorry being busy for almost everyday - no time to get into the FunTrivia!)
The proverb "the pen is mightier than the sword" was used with reference to novelists like him. His many literary works include the novels "Noli Me Tangere" ("Touch Me Not"), "El Filibusterismo" ("The Reign of Greed"), and the poem "Mi Ultimo Adios" ("Farewell, Beloved Country").
La Solidaridad ("The Solidarity") was created in Barcelona, Spain on 13th December, 1888. These Illustrados used the pen to express their freedom of speech against the corrupt Spanish rulers. Some of the Propaganda writers were Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo Del Pilar, Antonio Luna, Jose Ma. Panganiban, among others. Udated 14th of December: I have added the word newspaper in the question. Credits to merliebrainy for the corrections. Also accepted: The Solidarity, Solidaridad, Solidarity
La Liga Filipina (The Philippine League) was created to establish a civil organization for peace and unity. It became inactive four days after Rizal was secretly arrested and exiled to Dapitan. Later, the organization was divided into two: The Katipunans ("Freedom", a group of revolutionary men) and the Cuerpo de Compromisarios ("Body of Delegates", a group that supported La Solidaridad/The Solidarity). Ex-La Liga Filipina (Spanish for "The Philippine League") member and Katipunan ("Freedom" in FIlipino) founder, Andres Bonifacio, and his chancellors had decided to persuade Dr. Rizal to join the Katipunans. The Katipunan group sent Pio Valenzuela, Dr. Rizal's friend, for the group's appeal but Rizal refused to engage in violence.
During the Spanish period, the garotte and shooting were the most common methods of execution in the Philippines. In Dr. Rizal's case, he was shot by the firing squad on the morning of 30th December, 1896 for treason (against Spain).
The cause of "Cry of Pugadlawin" (The word "cry" here means a rallying call or signal and "Pugadlawin" means hawk's nest in Filipino): The Katipunan existence was revealed by Teodoro Patiño to his sister and later told to a priest about the organization. The Spanish authorities had arrested and executed several Katipunan members after the raid on the printing press. As the sign of commitment to the Katipunans, Bonifacio and the large group of Katipuneros tore up a "cedula" (Spanish for residence certificate) in Pugadlawin, Balintawak. The Katipunans dominated the first battle in Calookan with the small victory but they retreated in Mandaluyong, then in Balara after the Spanish reinforcements had defeated the forces of the revolutionaries.
Bonifacio was in negotiations aimed at uniting the Katipuan factions in Tejeros, Cavite. He was invited by Magdalo to settle the governorship of the country, but Magdalo settled for revolutionary government and Magdiwang ("Celebrate" in Filipino) agreed to retain Katipunan.
"The Battle of Manila Bay" had lasted only few hours during 1st of May 1898. The USS Olympia and the fleet of ships under U.S. Navy's Asiatic Squadron Commander, Commodore George Dewey had dominated the Manila Bay. The battle lasted only a few hours till the Spanish fleet under Admiral Patricio Montojo was defeated. The Americans also helped the Filipinos to free the rest of the country. Emilio Aguinaldo came back from exile in Hong Kong and declared independence in Cavite on 12th June 1898.